Half of customers want businesses to provide WiFi

Half of customers want businesses to provide WiFi

The average Brit spends ten hours a day being connected to the Internet, results from a Plusnet Business survey reveals. The study demonstrates how the demand for Internet access has increased, with almost a quarter (24 per cent) of people saying that they need it to be able to update people should anything happen.

Small businesses need to take note that almost half (49 per cent) of respondents said Internet access, provided by businesses, is needed in public areas. Over 40 per cent of respondents in North West, Northern Ireland, Scotland, London and Wales say that having access to WiFi is a deal breaker when deciding on a hotel, showing how much this can affect a business’ bottom line.

The study by Plusnet Business has uncovered how much of an impact a decent WiFi connection for customer use can bring to many sectors, with almost a fifth saying they will purposely choose a restaurant (17 per cent), bar (17 per cent), pub (17 per cent), and shopping centre (18 per cent), over one without it.

For nearly a third of respondents (29 per cent), regular access isn’t good enough, they have to be constantly connected and can’t even queue or take a short journey without entertaining themselves online. Well over a third (46 per cent) of respondents in London admitted that they needed to be connected to the Internet all the time, to stop the boredom of having to queue.

Nick Silverwood, head of business, Plusnet said, ‘Through the Plusnet Business survey we can see that installing something as simple as free WiFi for customers, can help generate repeat custom and definition within a market. With increased competition in the hospitality and retail markets, it’s important for small businesses to understand how investing in customer broadband has the potential to really boost sales. With over one in 10 (12 per cent) respondents estimating that 21-30 per cent of their profit is down to a fast and reliable Internet connection, there is a clear benefit to getting online.’